Quick-cooking farina and method of making same



Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED -.S'TATES QUICK-COOKING. FARINAv AND. METHOD. OF

MAKING SAM Charles. R. Carmen. Park F rest, nd. Jim E- llison, .Elmhurst, Ill., assignorsw to Guardite Corpora'tion, a corporation of Delaware NoDrawing. Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,421

4 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to a ore-cooked cereal and a method of preparing the same and particularly to a pre-cooked farina.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application, Serial, No. 190,665, filed October 17, 1950, now abandoned, which in turn was a continuation-in-part of our then co-pending application, Serial No. 161,744, filed May 12,, 1950, now abandoned,

The pre-cooking of cereal is not a, new art, but the problem. of pre-coOking cereals, drying them, and then having them reconstitute rapidly in water, without, loss of flavor, palatability, or granular identity has heretofore not been satisfactorily solved.

The formation of the present farina, product involves the following factors:

1. In order to procure a uniform, farina product, the moisture content of the material should be uniform as between the farina particles and uniform throughout each particle. Depending upon the type of farina employed, the moisture range will vary and the uniformity may be obtained as desired.

.2. The farina should be cooked by steam or otherwise under conditions which establish a proper moisture content and cause the starch to become uniformly gelatinized so as to bring the farina to a sufficient state of plasticity properly to expand. The conditions should be adjusted so that each grain should be cooked to substantially the same degree and in addition these conditions are preferably of such a nature that the non-condensable gases in the farina particles are removed therefrom. This latter a condition may be established under vacuum conditions under which the contained moisture boils and washes out the non-condensable gases in the farina particles. During the cooking a bleed or purge line is maintained so that any non-condensable gases generated during the cooking or supplied with the cooking may be eliminated.

3. When the far-ina is properly cooked and is at the proper moisture content, it is suddenly shot into a vacuum zone, causing expansion of the farina. The conditions of the resulting explosion should be such as to cause cold setting of the farina. The temperature is determined by the vacuum conditions into which the farina is fired and the ability to maintain these conditions during the resulting explosion and concomitant expansion of the farina. This means that with commercially practicable vacuum equipment, the expansion chamber should have a volume enormously greater than the cooking chamber. In actual practice, this has been of the order of 330 to l in volume using vacuum equipment having the capacity of pulling a vacuum of 0.2 inch of mercury absolute from atmospheric conditions in a, period of about 15 minutes. The preferred vacuum at the start of the expansion of the farina is of the order of 0.1 to 0.2 inch of mercury absolute. In such apparatus the pressure may ride-up somewhat during the explosion step. It isv preferred to continue evacuation of the expansion chamber during the explosion and to. maintain it at as low a pressure as. is practicable. The temperature to which the farina product is cooled is normally determined by the vacuum condition during the explosion step.

4. The starch gelatinized.

5. The time-temperature relationships are sufficiently short and low respectively, that browning or scorching is avoided.

6. The farina must not, be so much cooked as to change the cell walls so as to render them impervious to steam, since otherwise they would rupture on expansion.

7. The moisture content, and cooking time, temperature and pressure, and the vacuum into which the farina is fired are selected to produce a farina product which has a volume from 1%; to 2 times the original farina particles as determined by their cup weights. Put conversely, the specific gravity as determined by cup weights is from 40% to 66 the specific gravity of the original farina particles.

Removal of the non-condensible gases from is substantially completely the, farina, cooking, and vacuum expansion are preferably carried out in a pufier of the type disclosed in the Doyle Patent No. 2,627,221, issued February 3, 1953. In such an apparatus a steaming chamber is provided within which the farina particles may be placed. This steaming chamber is connected by a triggered door to an expansion chamber. The expansion chamber is preferably kept at a low pressure, means being provided to maintain a low pressure during the expansion. The steaming chamber is provided with an evacuating means, steaming means, and usually with a purge or bleed line through which non-condensible gases can be eliminated as well as some condensed steam which develops during steaming.

I The steps of removing the non-condensable gases from the farina particles in cooking may be carried out before introduction into the pufier, but convenience is best served by carrying out the operation in one device.

In accordance with the present invention, regular farina, which is the centers of hard wheat, was employed. Such a material, prior to precooking, is. now available on the market. Its normalcooking time is from-two to five minutes.

The material, prior to treatment, had a cup weight of approximately 168 grams.

The material was processed in ten pound lots,

without any moistening or tempering operation. Tempering may be employed, but it has notbeen found to improve the material and, in some cases, has a deleterious effect.

Farina is placed in the steaming chamber, and evacuation carried out to approximately 0.2 inch of mercury absolute for about two minutes, the farina being at a temperature of at least about 40 F. to remove the noncondensable gases from the farina particles. Steam is then introduced to the steaming chamber accompanied by continued purging to cook the product and remove any condensate and non-condensable gases. The product is cooked suiiiciently to gelatinize the starch, inactivate enzymes and supply sufficient plasticity for vacuum expanding. The amount of cooking required will vary considerably with the characteristics of the type of farina particles, but may readily be determined by a preliminary test for any particular lot.

The preferred cooking cycle is to introduce steam to reach thirty-five pounds per square inch gauge in twenty to thirty seconds, after which on a standard mercury manometer but in most instances the pressure was reduced. below two inches of mercury absolute within a few minutes, and before reimposition of atmospheric pressure.

In one specific example, the steaming cycle was twenty-five pounds per square inch gau e of steam reached in thirty seconds. In another, it was forty pounds per square inch gauge of pressure reached in thirty-eight seconds. In another, it was forty-five pounds per square inch gauge of steam pressure reached in forty-three seconds, In another, it was fifty pounds per square inch gauge of steam pressure reached in thirty-eight seconds. In another it was fiftyfive pounds per square inch gauge of steam pressure reached in forty-three seconds. In another it was sixty pounds per square inch gauge of steam pressure reached in forty-six seconds. In another, it was thirty-five pounds per square inch gauge of steam pressure reached in thirty seconds.

After expanding, the product was dried by the introduction of superheated steam at about one inch of mercury absolute into the expansion chamber and continuing this operation for from five to ten minutes. That is, steam was continuously admitted while the evacuating apparatus was operated so that pressure did not rise above one inch of mercury absolute. It is preferred to have a moisture content of approximately 10- -15% in the product before further processing.

The expanded and dried farina was then put through corrugated rolls. These corrugations cut the expanded particles up to some extent, broke up clusters, and removed some loose starch.

The vacuum expanded farina product has a volume from 1 to 2 times the original farina particles. Put conversely, the specific gravity as determined by cup weight is from 40% to 66%% the specific gravity of the original farina particles. It is granular in appearance, the farina particles being of a snowy-white fiecked with light-brown appearance and substantially the shape of the original particles. It is capable of remarkably fast water absorption and can be cooked in approximately forty-five seconds, as compared to the two to five minutes required for the original material,

In cooking, cup of the processed farina is slowly stirred into 1 cups of water containing a quarter teaspoon salt. The boiling is carried out for forty-five seconds, after which the farina is ready for serving.

The cooking operation increases the moisture content of the farina particles approximately 1% for each twenty to twenty-five degrees F. increase in temperature. This increase is lost on vacuum expanding, and the loss of water, plus the sudden cooling is believed to cause setting of the plasticity of the walls so that they will not collapse upon subsequent increase in pressure.

The starchy portions of the processed material are translucent. The surfaces have a somewhat vitreous appearance and the bundle of starch cells somewhat resemble a snowball.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. The method of treating iarina which comprises: substantially removing the air from farina and substituting an atmosphere of steam under pressure; adding steam thereto at increased pressure and temperature to raise the moisture content thereof and cook the farina; then instantaneously reducing the pressure from at least 25 pounds per square inch gauge to well below atmospheric pressure to cause an explosion resulting in expansion of the farina; and maintaining a reduced pressure sufficient to cold set the expanded farina during the explosion and until cold setting or the farina occurs, the pressure at the inception of the explosion and the extent of pressure reduction being correlated to produce an expanded product having a specific gravity between about 40% and 66 /3% of the original farina.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, in which the steam operation is carried on to reach a pressure of from 25 pounds to 60 pounds per square inch gauge.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, in which the instantaneous pressure reduction is to 2 inches of mercury absolute or less.

4. A cold set vacuum expanded quick-cooking farina product produced by the process of claim 1.

CHARLES R. CARMAN. JIM E. ALLISON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain of 1912 

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING FARINA WHICH COMPRISES: SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVING THE AIR FROM FARINA AND SUBSTITUTING AN ATMOSPHERE OF STEAM UNDER PRESSURE; ADDING STEAM THERETO AT INCREASED PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE TO RAISE THE MOISTURE CONTENT THEREOF AND COOK THE FARINA; THEN INSTANTANEOUSLY REDUCING THE PRESSURE FROM AT LEAST 25 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE TO WELL BELOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO CAUSE AN EXPLOSION RESULTING IN EXPANSION OF THE FARINA; AND MAINTAINING A REDUCED PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO COLD SET THE EXPANDED FARINA DURING THE EXPLOSION AND UNTIL COLD SETTING OF THE FARINA OCCURS, THE PRESSURE AT THE INCEPTION OF THE EXPLOSION AND THE EXTENT OF PRESSURE REDUCTION BEING CORRELATED TO PRODUCE AN EXPANDED PRODUCT HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY BETWEEN ABOUT 40% AND 66 2/3% OF THE ORIGINAL FARINA. 